420 pictures from Boulder, Colorado (4.20.2008)

Check out pictures and video from today's 420 smoke up on the CU campus in Boulder, Colorado.  University of Colorado police estimated that 10,000 people gathered for the annual "smoke-up" on Norlin Quad on CU's campus.  In contrast to prior years when CU police attempted to discourage the event, they were keeping it "low-key" this year, said Commander Brad Wiesley, a spokesman. "When you're outnumbered 1,000-to-1, or even 750-to-1, it's really hard to have much say over what the crowd does," Wiesley said.

Origins of 420 (from Wikipedia):

Although many diverse theories exist to explain the origin of the term, one central root of the phrase stems from a group of teenagers at San Rafael High School in San Rafael, California in 1971; the teens would meet after school at 4:20 p.m. to smoke cannabis at the Louis Pasteur statue.^[3][4] The term became part of their group's salute, "420 Louis!",^[5] and became popularized in the late 1980s by fans of The Grateful Dead.^[6] Many North American cannabis users continue to observe 4:20 as a time to smoke communally. By extension April 20 ("4/20" in U.S. dating shorthand) has evolved into a counterculture holiday, where people gather to celebrate and consume cannabis.^[7][8][9] In some locations this celebration coincides with Earth Week.^[10][11][12]

Enjoy,

The Grateful Web